During the early days of Covid, I signed up for a couple of online courses and learnt about essential oils, aromatherapy and making natural holistic products- this led me to candle making.
Although, my interest in nature didn't begin here.
As a child, I gathered petals and concocted homemade 'perfumes', often left on the bathroom windowsill until the delicate scents transformed into something quite the opposite a few days later!
Exploring my Dad's beloved garden is a fond childhood memory- and something I still joyously do today. He taught me how to pick herbs, rub them intentionally between my fingers, take a long breath in and sigh an appreciative 'ahh' after- followed by a silent smile of gratitude to one another.
I may not have green fingers, but I've always felt excited by the bounties of gardening. In a way, it's creating something out of nothing, which I've always admired. It feels a bit like magic.
The truth is, nature is precious.
Essential oils are highly concentrated. Thousands of rose petals are needed to make a 5ml bottle of oil. Can you imagine how many plants you would need to make a (standard size) 10ml bottle of any essential oil?
When I began learning to make candles, I only used essential oils. My thoughts were, 'why would I use fragrance oils when I can use 100% natural oils? Of course, they're better.'
If I'm honest, I was surprised by how much essential oil was needed when I made my first candle- it seemed like a lot.
Some plants are endangered/ close to being endangered- frankincense, rosewood and sandalwood are a few examples. After a little while, I paused testing essential oils and experimented with fragrance oils. I realised that I needed more knowledge to use essential oils with the right intention.
So I aimed to perfect the art of candle making with fragrance oils first. This way, I would have the skills to dedicate more time and energy to research sustainability and use essential oils with the care and respect they deserve in the future.
I chose scents that are not as sustainable or available in essential oil form- like rose, frangipani and coconut- which are more suitable as fragrance oils.
Finding high-quality fragrance oils isn't an easy task, especially scents that smell nature-identical without any strange artificial undertones. But they're out there! I tested about 200 fragrance oils before confidently choosing six scents to launch.
I named the rose scent Hatton Roses. Frangipani became Temple Flower and coconut, Coconut Tree. I must have sampled at least five or six different rose scents before finding what I was looking for and about ten coconut scents before choosing the fragrance oil for Coconut Tree.
My opinion? There's a purpose for both fragrance and essential oils.
For aromatherapy candles, you need essential oils as aromatherapy requires natural plant extracts.
For a beautifully scented home, fragrance oils are a good choice too. They tend to have a stronger scent throw, which is helpful for larger spaces.
Some suppliers have blends of essential oil and fragrance oil which offers both aromatherapy and a strong scent throw.
While 100% natural is a favourite in my books, I also want to protect and preserve nature.
If we only used essential oils to make candles, there wouldn't be enough plants. And in recent years, essential oil candles have soared in popularity.
I think both serve different purposes and intentions. Because of this, I have decided to continue working with fragrance oils and essential oils.
Our range of candles made with fragrance oils are available online- essential oil candles are coming soon!